logo
episode-header-image
Aug 5
14m 58s

The powerful promise of Earth’s harshest...

TED
About this episode

Clean energy visionary Lei Zhang loves the Gobi Desert — the most Mars-like place on Earth. Why? Because of the promise it holds to provide the free, abundant solar and wind energy to fuel humanity’s next leap forward. Sharing the story behind one of the world’s largest green hydrogen projects, Zhang shows how Earth’s harshest landscapes could unlock more energy reserves than the world consumes today, and encourages us all to get a little more creative in how we think about the future.

For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.


Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou

TEDSports: ted.com/sports

TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna

TEDAI San Francisco: ted.com/ai-sf


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Is AI ruining music? | Dustin Ballard
What makes music “real” — is it the instruments, the voice, the creator’s intention or something else entirely? Dustin Ballard, the creative force behind the viral channel “There I Ruined It,” explores the weird, wonderful and sometimes unsettling ways AI is reshaping music. With ... Show More
12m 56s
Aug 6
The wonder of weightlifting | Jaime Seeman
With humor and hard science, obstetrician and gynecologist Jaime Seeman reveals why building muscle is one of the best ways to combat women’s top health risks. Learn the truth behind three weightlifting myths that prevent women from getting serious about strength training — and w ... Show More
11m 53s
Aug 4
How ethics can help you make better decisions | Michael Schur (re-release)
What would Immanuel Kant say about a fender bender? In a surprisingly funny trip through the teachings of some of history's great philosophers, TV writer and producer Michael Schur (from hit shows like "The Office" and "The Good Place") talks through how to confront life's moral ... Show More
12m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Throwback/Encore Presentation: Dan Reicher’s Rationally Optimistic Take on Progress and Potential in the Fight Against Climate Change
One of our most popular episodes of 2023 is back, with this encore presentation, just in time for Earth Day!  Dan Reicher’s interest in and advocacy for environmental protection and clean energy began when he was a child and has continued throughout his life.  In addition to teac ... Show More
53m 39s
Mar 2025
Solar energy is even cheaper than you think | Jenny Chase
How prevalent is solar power, really? According to researcher Jenny Chase, it's already displacing fossil fuels in key energy markets around the world. She explains the rise of affordable solar power and dives into how her team tracked its rapid installation in unexpected countri ... Show More
11m 53s
May 2021
#324 - Alex Epstein - Can Fossil Fuels Save The World?
Alex Epstein is an energy theorist, the founder and president of the Center for Industrial Progress and an author.During any discussion about fossil fuels, the focus only ever seems to be on the negative side effects, but what about the positives? Alex believes that we need more, ... Show More
1h 27m
Nov 2024
DeepMind Releases AlphaFold Code and China's Solar Great Wall
What would you like to see more of? Let us know!In this episode of Discover Daily, we explore two major technological breakthroughs shaping our future. First, we discuss DeepMind's release of AlphaFold 3's source code, a significant advancement in protein structure pred ... Show More
5m 27s
Jul 28
A small nation’s surprising solution to unemployment | James Mnyupe
How did a small, economically vulnerable country become a trailblazer in sustainable industry? Clean economy builder James Mnyupe explores how Namibia is teaming up with partners from around the world to turn sun, wind and water into green hydrogen — a key ingredient in fueling e ... Show More
13m 21s
Nov 2024
Is Clean Power at a Tipping Point in Asia?
Our South Asia Energy Analyst Mayank Maheshwari discusses the main drivers behind a shifting electric power landscape in his outlook for Asia energy. ----- Transcript ----- Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I’m Mayank Maheshwari, Morgan Stanley’s South Asia Energy Analyst. There ... Show More
3m 33s
Jan 2025
China Plans Space Solar Array, Apple's First USA-Made iPhone Chips, and OpenAI's Economic Blueprint
We're experimenting and would love to hear from you!In this episode of 'Discover Daily', we explore China's revolutionary space-based solar power project, set to launch in 2028. This massive undertaking promises to deliver solar energy with six times the intens ... Show More
7m 53s
Jul 14
The economic opportunity hidden in the climate transition | Marielle Remillard
The energy grid of the future demands a massive amount of materials: billions of solar panels, millions of wind turbines and more. Climate strategist Marielle Remillard reveals why there may be critical shortages ahead — and breaks down how this could also be the biggest business ... Show More
14m 54s
Oct 2024
#232: Top Renewable Energy Stocks for 2025
Mike sits down with energy trader and correspondent Dan Dicker to unpack the future of renewables and the United States energy policy. Dan covers how both political parties fail to understand the oil industry, the likely future of nuclear energy, the underappreciated benefits of ... Show More
49m 57s
May 2024
Going green: Can the global south develop without fossil fuel?
Climate anxieties—and global temperatures—are on the rise. According to the United Nations, if the planet warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, we’ll be facing irreversible climate damage. To stop that increase, we need to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Reaching such an ambitious goal ... Show More
38m 29s